Forks Welcomes the Swans
by nondescriptwriter
Summary: Bella and Emmett Swan move from New York to Forks to live with their famous music producer father Charlie Swan. Can Bella handle the local playboy, Edward? Read as she and Emmett take on Forks with their soon-to-be best friends, the Cullens and Hales.
1. Chapter 1

"Bella! Wakey, wakey! It's the first day of school," Emmett hollered as he bounded up the stairs and burst open the door to my room.

Emmett and I are twins. He's a huge muscle man, while I have a more petite frame. I have a pretty slender body, but I've been told I have curves in the right places. He has curly hair that's cut short so that you can hardly see the curls. His hair is brown. So is mine, but I have more red in it. I have wavy, long hair halfway down my back. We shared the same chocolate brown eyes.

I groaned. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of being awoken at this ungodly hour?" I asked sarcastically.

"Me!"

I chuckled. My brother Emmett, what a goofball.

"Come on, little sis!"

"Jesus, Emmett, you're three minutes older. I hardly think that counts."

Today was the first day of school. Emmett and I were gonna be juniors. Mommy dearest decided to send us back to Forks to live with our father. Not that I hate my mom, but how does she expect us to live with a man we hardly even know? But I was gonna make the best of this. The reason our mother sent us here is so that we could apparently spend a few years with Charlie before, I quote: "my little babies are grown up."

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you a few important details. Our mom is Renee Dwyer, famous clothing designer. Her line is called Clarity. Guess the name fits. Renee is clear as glass. Super easy to read. She's up there with Chanel, Gucci, and all that jazz. She's married to our stepdad Phil Dwyer. Yup, the third baseman for the Yankees. Nice guy. Our dad Charlie, on the other hand is a famous music producer who owns Swan Records. I'm talking Ke$ha, 3OH!3, Justin Bieber, the whole nine yards. Renee and Phil live in Manhattan while Charlie decided to stay outta the spotlight in LA. So he resides in Forks, his hometown. He lives in a huge mansion that Emmett and I call now call home. But his company headquarters is in Seattle.

I got up and hopped into the shower and washed my hair with my strawberry shampoo. When I got out I put my hair in a towel and went to go pick out my clothes. I opened the french doors to my enormous closet. I was gonna go simple today. I grabbed a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a white v neck. For shoes… I eyed my gray Vans. Eh, what the heck. The heels can wait. It's my first day and I don't wanna make an impression by tripping over thin air. I walked over to my vanity. I put on very little light green eye shadow, eye liner, and a swipe of mascara. No need for blush, I do that enough. I left my mahogany hair in its naturally loose waves but put on a gray slouchy beanie.

I met Emmett downstairs in the kitchen. He was shoveling food into that bottomless pit of his. Today he was wearing some dark wash jeans and a black button-up shirt. He wore that with a pair of Nikes. I grabbed a Poptart and dragged him out to the driveway. There was a red Audi A5 with a note on the windshield waiting for us. I scanned the note.

_Bella and Emmett, I know your cars haven't arrived from New York yet, so I bought you guys a car to drive to school today. Think of it as one of your homecoming presents. _

I got into the passenger seat and Emmett sped down our block and turned left, earning us the satisfactory sound of a screech as a result of the speed we were going. We cruised into the parking lot of Forks High. I surveyed the other cars. Honestly, they weren't much to look at. All of the cars looked as if the only thing holding them together was the rust accumulated over the years under the constant rain and clouds of Forks. The only other cars in the parking lot that could even hold a candle to ours was a red BMW M3 and a silver Volvo. I put on my black Ray Bans as we parked. Emmett and I stepped out of the car and were met by hundreds of stares. I took a deep breath. "Come on, Bells." Emmett beckoned me to join him.

_Here we go. _


	2. Chapter 2

We walked past the group of people that surrounded us and our car. A group of fake blonde bimbos with orange skin stared at Em with lustful eyes while glaring at me. _Ha, if only they knew. _

We navigated our way through the school and found the office quickly. Emmett opened the door for me and we entered silently. The secretary was clicking away at the computer, completely oblivious to our presence. She had fake carrot-colored hair. How did I know that? I could see her natural mousy brown roots. The thing is, they were about two inches long. She was wearing a shirt that was partially unbuttoned as if she was attempting to show off cleavage that she didn't have. Em cleared his throat and the secretary looked up.

"Um, excuse me, Ms…." He glanced at her nameplate. "Cope? My name is Emmett Swan and this is my sister, Isabella." Her eyes widened. _Ah, so it was going to be one of those days. _"We're here to get our schedules."

"You're Charlie Swan's kids, aren't you?" We nodded.

"We just need our schedules, ma'am," I said, getting a little frustrated.

"Oh, of course." She flicked through the folders in the file cabinets to grab a few papers and then she printed out our schedules. She handed them to us. "Here they are." We thanked her and began to file out of the office. "Wait," she said. We turned around. She flipped her hair. "I just wanted to let you know that your family is _always _welcome here at Forks High. _Especially _your father or Emmett." She winked at him. _Ew. _I gave Emmett a slight push out the door.

"Hey Em, what's your first class?"

"Trig, you?"

"Same. Let's go." We linked arms and made our way to the classroom. We walked through the door and everyone looked at us.

"You're late," the teacher stated flatly. Asshole. Emmett clenched his fist, but I held him back.

"I'm sorry, sir. Today's our first day and we got lost when we were looking for the classroom," I told him sweetly.

"You _wouldn't _be late if your guardian had taken you on a school tour," he said. My eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, but our father Charlie _Swan_," I heard a chorus of gasps from all corners of the room, "was too busy to take us on a tour."

The teacher looked nervous all of a sudden. _Ha, take that, bastard! Yeah, that's right, my dad is _**the**_ Charlie Swan, award-winning record producer. You treat us like shit and we will get our lawyers on the phone, and they will whoop your sorry ass. _"Well, okay then. Introduce yourselves." I groaned internally. Em saw the grimace on my face, so he decided to talk first.

"Hey, um, my name's Emmett Swan and this is my twin sister Bella. Like Bells said before, our dad is Charlie Swan. Our mom is Renee Dwyer. She's a designer in New York. And our stepdad is Phil Dwyer. He plays for the Yankees." The students were all openly gaping now.

"Okay, you make take you seats in the back of---"

A boy's hand shot up. The teacher sighed, but called on him. "Yes, Mike?"

"Are you single?" he asked, raking his eyes over my body. Emmett noticed, and growled while I blushed a crimson color.

"Okay, okay. No more questions. As I was saying, Bella and Emmett, you may take your seats over there in the back of the room. "

As we walked down the rows all eyes were glued to us. Em and I slid into our seats next to each other and looked toward the front of the room. "All right, all right, all eyes up here. So, welcome back to a new school year," he said in a monotone voice. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mr. Varner…"

I stopped listening after that. The class passed by quickly. I spent the time thinking about my baby that was being transported to Forks at this moment. Ah, my black Ferrari Gallardo. It was my pride and joy. My thoughts were interrupted by the obnoxious ring of the bell. Em and I got up and made our way to the door. But we were stopped by a girl. I looked at her. She was a tiny little thing. No more than five feet. She had delicate, pixie-like features and black hair that stuck up in all directions. All in all, very pretty. Her green eyes darted to us. She smiled.

"Hi! I'd just like to say welcome to Forks. I also wanted to tell you that I _love _your mom. She's like my idol!" her high soprano trilled. "Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself!" She stuck out a pale hand and we shook it. "I'm Alice Cullen! And this," she gestured to the boy next to her, "is Jasper Hale, the love of my life." She beamed.

I looked at Jasper. He was not bad-looking at all. He had curly-ish honey blonde hair and baby blue eyes. Something about him screamed 'southern'. He gave us a weary smile and introduced himself. "As Alice said, my name is Jasper Hale," he said in a southern drawl. See? I knew it. "Sorry about her. She means no harm. She's always…" He trailed off, thinking for a word to describe Alice. "Excited, " he finished, looking at Alice with loving eyes.

I felt a little intrusive, so I told them Em and I would be on our way to our next class, which, luckily, we shared. As we headed in the other direction, we heard Alice.

"Wait!" We turned around. "Would you like to sit with us at lunch today?" she asked, hopeful look in her eyes. She gave us a puppy dog face that I knew got her many things she wanted. "I have a friend named Rose who will want to meet you guys too. And maybe even my brother. But you won't wanna meet him," I heard her mumble.

"Sure," Em answered her. And with that, we walked off to English. As we were strolling down the hall all eyes were on us. _Huh, you would think two new students wouldn't be a big deal._ Em and I compared schedules along the way. We shared trig, English, lunch, and Spanish.

We neared the door and I peered into the classroom, expecting another rude teacher or maybe some other perv checking me out. What I _didn't_ expect, though, was a pair of piercing, emerald green eyes staring straight at me.


	3. Chapter 3

The English teacher Mr. Berty wasn't as annoying as Mr. Varner from trig. He simply signed our papers and showed us our spots. He started the class by handing out papers that listed the books we would be reading this year. I skimmed the list. _Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights… _Those were the first two that caught my eye. I'd read both of them.

I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up. I got lost in smoldering, green eyes. The face holding those eyes was beautiful. It was like Adonis himself, in the flesh. He had a strong jaw and high cheekbones. His full lips we parted into a crooked grin. His hypnotizing eyes were framed by thick, dark lashes. His hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed, which might've been the case. It was an unusual bronze color. It looked so soft I wanted to run my hands through it, just to see if it actually was. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.

"Can I help you?" I asked, annoyed.

"I was just wondering if you were lost. 'Cause heaven is a long way from here," I heard a velvet voice say. Was he fucking serious?

"Is that supposed to impress me?"

He grinned. "It was supposed to. But I guess not. I'm Edward Cullen," he introduced himself, sticking out his hand. I shook it.

"Bella Swan. Wait, aren't you Alice's brother?"

"Yeah, we're twins. "

"Oh, so are me and Emmett." _I guess this guy is right._ But just then a girl got up and sat in his lap. I grimaced. _I take that back._

"Hi Eddie!"

"Hey Jessica." Then she attacked his lips with hers. The bell rang, and I made my way to the door. Em had already left for his next class. I tried to exit through the door, but the 'happy couple' was standing right in front of the door.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat.

The girl removed her lips from Edward's and glared at me. "What," she sneered.

"You're blocking the door," I replied venomously.

"And you think I would get out of the way for an ugly bitch like you? I feel sorry for your dad and brother. It must be hell having to live with _you_," she said.

_Hell. No._

I examined her. Not that tall, but her big, curly, brown hair made up for it. She was wearing a mini skirt---excuse me, I mean a belt. She had a tight tube top that made her fake boobs look like they were gonna explode out of the shirt. She had clown makeup caked onto her face. Her cheap-looking shoes looked like hooker heels.

"Well at least I'm not a walking STD! You've slept with what, the entire football team? Damn girl, you need to get tested! And don't forget to use a condom, sweetie!" I finished, looking her in the eye as if daring her to say anything else. I heard Edward snickering in the background.

She looked shocked. _That's right, bitch. You don't mess with Bella Swan. _

"You bitch!"

I grinned widely. "You know it." She raised her hand, and I knew _exactly _she was gonna do. She made a move toward my face and I grabbed her wrist just in time. I twisted her arm backward and I saw a pained look on her face.

"Just so we're clear, you don't mess with me, or next time, there will be blood. And it's_ not_ gonna be mine." I said menacingly. I put on my sunglasses and waved my fingers in a gesture of good bye. "Toodles."

I stalked off to my next class. History, great. I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around. "What," I asked through clenched teeth. It was Edward.

"I just wanted to ask if you'd like to go on a date with me."

"Are you fucking serious? You were just being dry-humped by that whore back there! And now you've come to ask me on a date?!" I screeched.

He stared at me in amusement while I ranted. "So, is that a yes?"

I groaned. "NO!"

He smiled. "Don't worry, you'll come crawling back soon."

"When Hell freezes over!"

As I marched off to class I could hear him mutter, "She wants me."

History passed by uneventfully and soon it was time for lunch. I strolled on over to the cafeteria and opened the door. I began to walk through the threshold when I tripped over a crack in the linoleum. I closed my eyes and expected to hit the floor, but instead a pair of strong arms caught me around my waist mid-fall. I opened my eyes and was met by those same piercing green eyes. I got back up and looked at him. Still beautiful as ever.

"You can let go of me now," I said embarrassedly gesturing to my waist.

"What if I don't want to?" he whispered suggestively in my ear. _What a dick, _I thought.

I raised my eyebrow. "Then I guess I'll just have to call Emmett over here and he can deal with you." I opened my mouth to yell for Emmett but the arms around my waist disappeared immediately. I smiled. "Thank you," I said, dusting myself off.

I walked over to the food. I grabbed a tray and filled it with a water bottle, a slice of pizza, and a chocolate chip cookie. I looked around the cafeteria and saw Em waving his arms like a maniac, telling me to come join him.

I went to Em's table and sat down. I looked around. Em, Jasper, Alice, and a girl that must've been Rose. She was beautiful. Just one look at her and the self-esteem of every girl in the room would drop an impressive rate. She had long, wavy, blonde hair flowing down her back, beautiful blue eyes, and a body a supermodel would kill to have.

"Hi." She smiled. "My name's Rosalie Hale, but you can just call me Rose." _Hale, where have I heard that? _I pondered a bit. _Oh, Jasper Hale. She must be Jasper's twin. _I smiled and introduced myself.

"Bella Swan. So Em, how's your day going so far?" I asked my brother as I took a bite of my pizza. I didn't get an answer. I turned to look at him. He was busy staring at Rose, and vice versa for her.

The silence was interrupted by none other than Edward. "Hey guys." Everyone looked up. There were a couple "Hey Edward's" muttered. I got confused for a second about the unenthusiastic replies. He was their friend wasn't he? That was until I saw the arm of a blonde skank hanging on him. She was exactly like Jessica, but with blonde hair. Then Edward noticed me.

"What's _she _doing here?" he asked, pointing to me.

"Nice to meet you too, Cullen." I said, laughing.

Alice looked confused. "Wait, you two know each other?"

I nodded. "How?"

"Well you see, this jack ass here was hitting on me in English and then started making out with a slut. She and I got into a little argument, er fight, when she wouldn't let me through the door. Then I walked off to history, but of course Dickward decided to ask me out on a date and I turned him down. That's all." I explained the events of this morning to Alice.

The faces of everyone around the table looked shocked. Everyone but Emmett, of course. Then he started howling with laughter. "Damn, Edward I feel sorry for you and your little whore back there! Bells can be pretty feisty." Then he started laughing again.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting her to actually do anything." He admitted. "I just knew Jess was gonna bitch-slap her, and I thought she would do the same. But instead she caught her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back."

Em chuckled. "Yeah, well think again. Bella here is a black belt. You might wanna spread the word. We don't want these girls to end up in the hospital, do we?"

Jasper was grinning widely. "Dude, did I just hear that **the **Edward Cullen got turned down by a girl?"

"I did not get turned down, she was probably just busy."

"Nope. I wasn't. And yes, Jasper, your legendary Edward Cullen has been turned down by a girl."

The bell rang. I walked off to my next class. Biology. Mr. Banner signed my slip and instructed me where to sit. I dug in my bag until I found my iPod. I stuck my ear buds in and sat back.

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong_

_To wash this memory clean---_

My song was interrupted by a loud screech coming from next to me. I looked beside me and saw a head of bronze hair. _WHAT. THE. FUCK._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I glared at him. "Look, Cullen, I'm sure the person who sits here is gonna be annoyed when they see you in their spot," I said, pathetically hoping that the chair beside me wasn't his seat.

He grinned. _Oh my god. _"Well _actually_, Isabella, this happens to be my spot. Looks like we're gonna be lab partners for the rest of the school year. Would you like to come over to my house today so that we can _study?_" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. _That's disgusting. _

"No."

"How about tomorrow?"

"No."

That's how the rest of the class period went. He would try to ask me out and I would reject him each time.

"Why not?" He asked, frustrated after numerous pitiful attempts.

"Cullen, I only have one thing to say to you. Lots of girls may get on their knees and worship you when you walk by, but _not _this one," I said, jerking my thumb to myself.

"That's not a reason," he persisted.

"Okay, how about, I don't need another bastard player in my life?" I suggested. " Is that good enough for you, big boy?"

"Can I at least have your number?"

"Hell no."

"Well then I'll give you my number for when you come to your senses." He handed me a sticky note with some writing on it.

The bell rang and I made my way to the door. But before I left the classroom I made sure he was watching and then I tossed the sticky note into a garbage can about ten feet away from me.

"Later, Cullen," I called behind my back.

"Hold up," I heard him yell. I sighed, and began to walk faster. I got to the music room and practically sprinted through the door.

"I suggest you stay away, Cullen. Unless you don't want kids." There were a few chuckles around the room.

"Well, Isabella I see we share yet another class." _Yes, God must hate me._

I gritted my teeth. "It's Bella," I snarled. I glared at him and he looked me in the eye. His stare was so intense; it was as if he was looking straight into my soul.

Our staring contest was interrupted by the teacher. She clapped her hands together and began to speak. "Okay, welcome class, to another wonderful year to be spent studying music!" Hmm, so she was the energetic type. "So, seeing as we have a couple new students in this class this year, each student will get up here," she gestured to the platform that held a piano, guitar, and some other instruments, "and perform, so that I can see your musical chops. Who would like to go first? No one? I see. Well, we can't have that, can we? How about you, Bella?"

I frowned, but complied. I took careful steps up the platform, not wanting to fall again. I sat down at the piano bench and sighed. I placed my fingers on the ivory keys and began to play. I had no idea what I was doing, but I soon realized what the song was. It was My Immortal, a song I had written last year when Jake left me.

_I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave  
Your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone_

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light  
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me, me, me

I finished the song on a melancholy note. I felt some moisture in my eyes. I tried to blink back the tears. I would _not_ cry in front of these people. I looked up and saw the awed faces of the teacher and my fellow classmates, including Edward. _Huh, I didn't call him Cullen. _"That was beautiful," she said softly. "Care to tell us what that song was about?"

I hesitated. Well… Eh, what the hell. Renee says it's good to let it out. I looked around the classroom and studied the faces. I recognized Angela Weber and a few others who were nice people. _That leaves you, Cullen,_ I thought wryly. I took a deep breath. "I wrote this song last year when my best friend Jacob… k-killed himself." I stuttered. I closed my eyes, and struggling to keep the tears from falling.

The room was silent. I went to go sit back down. It was Edward's turn. He got up, grabbed a guitar, and began to strum the first few notes.

_Hey, Slow it down  
What do you want from me  
What do you want from me_

Yeah, I'm afraid  
What do you want from me  
What do you want from me

There might have been a time  
When I would give myself away  
Oh once upon a time  
I didn't give a damn

But now  
Here we are

So what do you want from me

Just don't give up  
I'm workin' it out  
Please don't give in  
I won't let you down  
It messed me up  
Need a second to breathe  
Just keep coming around  
Hey  
What do you want from me  
What do you want from me

Yeah,It's plain to see  
That baby you are beautiful  
There's nothing wrong with you  
(nothing wrong with you)  
It's me  
I'm a freak

But thanks for loving me  
'Cause your doing it perfectly

Yeah, there might have been a time  
When i would just let you slip away  
I wouldn't even try  
But I think you could save my life

Just don't give up  
I'm workin' it out  
Please don't give in  
I won't let you down  
It messed me up  
Need a second to breathe  
Just keep coming around  
Hey  
What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

No, I won't let you down

So, just don't give up  
I'm workin' it out  
Please don't give in  
I won't let you down  
It messed me up  
Need a second to breathe  
Just keep coming around  
Hey  
What do you want from me

So, just don't give up  
I'm workin' it out  
Please don't give in  
I won't let you down  
It messed me up  
Need a second to breathe  
Just keep coming around  
Hey

What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me  
(What do you want from me)

He finished and walked off the platform. I was astounded by his talent. When he sang he seemed so lost in the music. All traces of his cocky ways were gone. He was just… Edward. I liked this side of him so much more. Not the guy who had girls hanging on his side, or the guy who hit on me every thirty seconds, but the guy who had a passion for music. The class clapped wildly for Edward.

He sat down next to me. "What did you think?"

"I think you did great."

"_Really?"_

"Don't go all cocky on me now," I pleaded.

The rest of the students performed and then it was time for gym.

When I got to the gym I heard the coach talking to a student. "On a scale from one to ten, how badly does your wrist hurt? Four? You'll live." I chuckled. Then I spotted Edward. _Huh, Cullen's in this class too. _I was thinking of going over to him but then I saw him start making out with yet _another _girl, this time an anorexic-looking strawberry blonde scantily clad in the same type of clothing Jessica had worn today.

I looked away from them but apparently not fast enough. He caught me looking a split second before I had looked away. He cocked an eyebrow and yelled from across the gym. "Jealous, Swan?"

"You wish, Cullen," I spat.

Since today was the first day, so no one had to change into their P.E. uniforms or play. Coach Clapp just explained the rules and listed some sports we would be playing this year.

My last class of the day was Spanish. I sat next to Emmett and Mrs. Goff just reviewed Spanish terms today. When the bell rang Em turned to me.

"Hey Bells, I'm getting a ride with Rose today. That okay with you?" I nodded. I had been meaning to unpack the rest of my boxes.

I walked out to the parking lot and fought my way through the crowd again. I saw Edward leaning on the car. "Cullen, you better be happy that this isn't my Ferrari, otherwise I would castrate you for what you're doing right now."

"I just wanted to give you my number again because somehow the other piece of paper landed in the trash."

I decided to mess with him right then. "Thanks for the number," I said seductively in his ear. "You know what, I think you should get your room ready for tonight. Better keep your phone on, big boy." His eyes darkened with lust.

"Call me," he said breathlessly. I slapped him in the face, jumped into the car, and revved the engine.

"NOT IN THIS LIFETIME, ASSWARD!" I heard Em's deafening laugh as I drove away from Forks High.

_What a day._


	5. Chapter 5

When I got home I went for a jog outside. It's something that relaxes me. I put on a sports bra, shorts, and Nikes. I grabbed my iPod and jogged out the front door. I left a note for Em, otherwise he'd go crazy if he came home to an empty house. This had happened before, and apparently the reason was "What if you got kidnapped or something?" Psh, yeah right. He knew I was a black belt, so what was there to be scared of? Of course, his "big-brotherly instincts' wanted to protect me. I taped the note to the fridge. (It's the first thing he would go to when he got home.) Our neighborhood had a path that people used to walk their dogs, so I decided to run through that. Halfway through, I decided to take a seat on a green bench nearby. I put in my ear buds and contently closed my eyes.

_Too long we've been denying_

_Now we're both tired of trying_

_We hit a wall and we can't get over it_

_Nothing to relive---_

I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. I looked up. Ugh, Cullen. What the fuck does he want now? I was 'getting my groove on'! I groaned. "Dammit, you are such a buzz kill! What the hell do you want?"

He smirked. "I was just wondering why you were out this late."

I looked around. It wasn't that late. The sun was still up. Maybe he was colorblind? I rolled my eyes. "Is that supposed to be a conversation starter? Get your eyes checked, Cullen. As far as I'm concerned, the sun has not gone down yet. But my mood certainly has," I grumbled. "Just fuck off, Cullen." I got up, as I was going to resume my jog. Edward's eyes grew wide as saucers as he drank in my appearance. _Huh, I guess I could've chosen something to wear that would've covered up more, _I thought sheepishly. I snapped my fingers to catch Edward's attention. "My eyes are up here, buddy." And with that I ran off.

When I got home I took another shower. When I went downstairs I was met with the sight of three pizza boxes. Damn, does Charlie ever eat anything besides Pizza Hut? I was gonna have to go to the store and buy some food to fill his bare cupboards that held scarcely anything but Instant-Noodles.

I was bored so I grabbed a blanket and went out to the front yard, book in hand. I unfolded the blanket the hood of the Audi that was parked between our house and the neighbor's. I set an alarm on my EnV Touch because I knew I was bound to fall asleep. I opened up Wuthering Heights and skimmed through the pages until I found the part that I wanted.

I must've fallen asleep, because I was awoken by a loud sound. And it wasn't the alarm I had set on my phone. It was the wail of a fire truck. I rubbed my eyes that were now being blinded by the flashing lights. _I wonder whose house is on fire. _Then I saw it. The firefighters were busting into my house. I froze. What had happened? But then the firefighters came out and they seemed relieved, so I guess Em had tried cooking again. The same thing had happened in Manhattan.

A firefighter walked up to me. "I'm sorry for any disruption this has caused you or your family, ma'am. Of course, this must happen often, seeing as you live next door to that odd new boy." Next door? Oh yeah, the car I was sitting on looked like it was parked in front of the house next to us. In my haste to get home I must not have paid attention to where I parked.

"Oh he's not next door. In fact, he's right across the hall. And… he's my brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He was going to continue what he was saying. Probably 'I didn't mean to offend you' or something like that.

I cut him off. "Yeah, me too."

He smiled. I apologized that he had to come even though it was no big deal, and then I went into the house.

The next morning Em woke me up again in the same barbaric way of his. I groaned. I should've known, though. This was our routine for at least the first week of school every year. Just like routine, I showered, changed, and put on makeup. I came downstairs in white skinny jeans, black flats, and a berry color pea coat. My make up was just some simple pale pink eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara. I was lazy today so I put my hair up in a low messy bun. I was going to wear sunglasses again today to try to evade myself from looking at the eager eyes of my fellow Forks High schoolmates. For now they perched atop my head.

I went to the kitchen, grabbed a bagel with cream cheese smeared on top, and went to our garage. Actually, showroom would be more like it. There, in all its glossy, black glory, was my Ferrari Gallardo. I stood for just a moment, marveling at the beauty of this fine piece of machinery standing before me. The rev of Emmett's Jeep broke me out of my trance. I swiftly opened the car door and slid in. _Whoa, James Bond move_, I thought giddily. Em opened the garage and shot me a haughty look. I knew what this meant.

"How about a little challenge, sis?" I grinned. "Winner gets a thousand." I nodded. We both revved our engines and I grinned as I heard the low purr come from my Ferrari. _Let the games begin. _

I sped into the parking lot maniacally and drifted into a parking spot. I smiled. I had gotten pulled over thrice this time. Of course, it's not like any of this was on my record. According to the cops, my driving was impeccable. If my jaw-dropping appearance (insert sarcasm here) didn't stop them from giving me a ticket, the status of my parents sure would. That was how Em and I got away with this stuff.

I slid my aviators on and stepped out of the car. This time, everyone was staring. Not because I was something new to look at, but probably because of my big entrance. Or my car. The silence was interrupted by a Jeep streaking through the parking lot. I laughed. Poor Em. Probably thought I was still behind him. That _was _how the race had started out, but of course, I had taken a detour. He turned into a parking spot and I heard his trademark screech as he drove to a halt. I went to his car as he stepped out wearing a wide grin, thinking he had bested me. Just then he noticed me standing right in front of him.

"Pay up, Emmy-Bear." I said with a triumphant smile. That grin fell off his face in less than a second.

"How many pull-overs," he asked suspiciously.

"Three." I smirked.

"Dammit, how the hell do you get away with that? The one douche bag that pulled me over asked for all my ID 'cause he didn't believe I was Charlie's kid!" By now everyone was staring at us in confusion. _Don't you people have lives? Guess not in a town this small. _

I chuckled. "Don't worry, dear brother. Soon all of Forks will know that the Swans have arrived. And after I bail you out about nine times, they're bound to remember our faces. Then they won't have to ask for your ID each time."

Our classes sped by in a blur. Throughout the day we kept getting weird glances from everyone. _And __**that**__ is how you make an entrance, Jessica. _She had tried to divert the attention from us this morning by making her own little entrance. Really all she did was try to turn up her stereo as loud as it would go. On top of that, she played some shitty music, too. Or whatever the hell girls from the whore house got stuck in their heads these days. I chuckled as I recalled what I had said to her this morning. "This is not a Scooby Doo chase scene! Turn off your god damn 'funky' music!" _Wow, I've got some pretty awesome comebacks. _

But of course, her stereo system was crap. She thought she was hot shit driving in her probably 1972 model of a Barbie car. Ha, as if. At lunch, Em and I decided continue with our show that we had put on this morning. I was thinking how everyone probably thought we were attention whores. But hey, it's not our fault. They wanted a show, and we were giving them one. Jesus, they must be really stupid if they were complaining about free entertainment. There had to be someone to take on the job of shaking up this town a little. And that job has been taken up by the Swans. This morning during free period me and my partner in crime rented Go Karts. We burst through the cafeteria doors, each of us sitting in a go-kart and wearing a helmet. Not that we needed them. They were just for show. Em and I went go karting all the time. All eyes were on us. Em spoke into his walkie-talkie. I was on the other end.

"Red alert. Red alert. Please abort the building. Over." Not that we were actually gonna do that, but when Em and I do something, we go all out.

"Roger that."

We drove around the cafeteria and in a quick swerve we ended up at the Cullen/Hale table. We jumped up, removed our helmets, and shook out our hair. Theatrically for Em, of course. Alice, Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper stared at us in amusement and shock.

"And _that,_ my friends, is how the Swans make an entrance." They gave us a round of applause. Then everyone started to clap. Em and I took our dramatic bows and then we went to go get our food. We sat down at the table and were bombarded with questions. The first one was from Alice.

"What were you guys talking about this morning? Like the 'pay up' stuff?" Now everyone in the cafeteria was straining their ears to try and listen to the conversation.

"You see, Alice, me and my brother here are very competitive. We've had this special game going on ever since we got our licenses. On the days we get bored we have a race to school. Whoever gets pulled over the most and gets to school first wins. Today's winner gets a thousand."

"Dollars?" I heard a kid yell out incredulously. Eric Yorkie was his name, I think.

I rolled my eyes. "What did you think? Pennies? Because I don't think ten dollars is a very good amount to bet with." I said as I inspected my nails. "Which reminds me, Em. Will that be cash or credit?"

He grumbled something about how God must hate him. _I hear you, buddy. _But he pulled out his wallet and counted out ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. "Thank you," I said happily. Then the cafeteria broke out in whispers. But I could still hear. Partly because some of them had leaned in so far to listen to our conversation that they were a mere five feet away from me.

"Did you see that? That dude had at least a thousand dollars right in his pocket!" The pitchy voice of a pubescent freshman yelped.

"Oh my God, like who the hell does she like, think she is?" A nasally voice said. She probably said 'like' so many times because she had to pause and smack her gum. Of course, I forgot. Blonde bimbos can't multitask. Either talk or chew. Pick one.

"This is so going in my blog!" I heard another say.

When I got to biology I sat down and Mr. Banner began his lesson. He blabbed on and _on _about who-knows-what. But I stopped daydreaming when I heard the words that made me die a little on the inside. "Bella, you will be partnered with Edward for this project."

**Please review. I freak out over just one. Yeah, I know I sound like every other author, but it's true. Just take to seconds to say at least SOMETHING. Plus, reviews make me write faster. **


	6. Chapter 6

No, this _had _to be a mistake. I went to Mr. Banner and sank to my knees at his feet. I clasped my hands together and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "No, no, no! Please, this has to be a mistake! _Please _don't make me be partnered with him! I'm begging you!" I must've looked pretty pathetic, because just then the class erupted into laughter. I looked at Mr. Banner and saw that he was biting his lip, trying to stifle the laughter. He looked at me with humor in his eyes and chuckled.

"I'm sorry Bella, but I can't put either you or Edward with any other student in the class. You would just both end up doing all of the work."

"I'm okay with that! Just please! Anybody, but him." I begged hopelessly. "Sir, I am groveling on my _knees!_"

Then he looked to Edward. "Edward, are you okay with being partnered to Miss Swan?"

"Yes, sir. I am perfectly fine with that." He answered, smiling widely.

"That's because you've been hitting on me for the past two days!" I snapped.

Mr. Banner sighed, but refused.

"Fine." I stomped over to the table that Edward and I shared. "Cullen, you try _anything_, and I will call Charlie. And as you know, all famous people have security guards. A _lot _of 'em."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, no need to threaten me with your father's security guards." He said jokingly.

I glared at him. "Edward, Charlie's security may be in Seattle right now, so if I called him it'd take a while to get here, and you'd have maybe an hour to get out of the state. But need I remind you, Emmett is in this abnormally small school right now, and he has gym class. Meaning he has access to a baseball bat." I threatened, staring him down. I'm pretty sure I saw him flinch, too.

The bell rang and I was off to music. It was okay, I guess. I spent the day playing around with some notes I had stuck in my head during History today. Gym was terrible. We played basketball today and I had managed to fall and take down a couple girls with me a few times.

I went outside the building after school and saw that there was a large crowd. What the hell is the fuss? I made my way through the crowd to see what was going on. Turns out they were all looking at my car. The boys looked at it dreamily. "Outta the way, fellas."

Tyler Crowley looked at me doubtfully. "You can't be serious, this isn't your car."

"Oh yeah? Who else could it belong to?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, Cullen maybe?"

I waved my keys in front of him. "You think Charlie Swan wouldn't be able to buy a Ferrari for his daughter? Ha, think again." I slid into the car and looked behind me as I backed out of my parking spot and zoomed home.

I went to my room and turned on my Macbook. I had gotten an e-mail from mom. She asked if Em and I wanted to model for her new fall collection. I replied and asked her to tell me when she wanted us to fly to New York.

When I went to the kitchen I noticed that Charlie was there. "Hey Bells."

"Hey Dad. Mom was wondering if me and Em could fly to New York for a couple photo shoots. You know, just for Clarity and stuff like that. Plus, Mom says that Phil's been itching to have us at one of his games again. So um, I just need you to like write a note for _Ms. Cope_," I grimaced, "telling her that we won't be at school till Tuesday."

"Sure, Bells. You and your brother need to see some of your friends again, anyway."

I gave Charlie a hug. "Thanks Dad! Also, Mr. Varner, me and Em's trig teacher, is like a total asshole and he was yelling at us because we were late because we didn't know the way. Then he was like 'You wouldn't be late if your father had taken you on a tour'. So basically he was questioning your parenting skills." _Haha, sucker! Score one for Bella. _Charlie's face got red. I almost thought his vein was gonna pop. Charlie got seriously pissed whenever people said shit about his parenting, or lack of. I knew he hated that his job kept him away from us. I held my hands up in surrender. "I just wanted to let you know. 'Cause then I told him you were Charlie Swan and that shut him up."

Charlie smiled. "That's my girl."

"Oh, by the way, the house has no food, so I'm just gonna go to the grocery store. Bye Dad."

"Bye Bells."

I braved the dreary weather outside my home and drove to the local grocery store. I was unfamiliar with this place so I searched up and down the aisles till I found what I was looking for. Cereal. I always ate Fruity Pebbles. No matter what, the only cereal that I would eat and be happy with was Fruity Pebbles. Then I went off in search of pasta, turkey, potatoes, bagels, Poptarts, really just a bunch of food so that I wouldn't have to go to the store whenever I didn't wanna eat pizza. For some reason I felt more at home in the store. I would always go grocery shopping back home and being in the store sheltered me from the outside, so I pretty much forgot I was in Forks.

That is, until I ran into Cullen. He smirked. "Fancy seeing you here, Bella."

"Can't say I feel the same." I monotonously replied.

"So, Alice heard that we were partners in biology and she's wondering when you can come over."

I inwardly smiled. _Hmm, another opportunity to have some fun._ "How bout you come over to my house instead?"

His face grew hopeful, but I wasn't done talking yet.

"That way there's a smaller chance of you jumping my bones knowing that Emmett's in the house. 'Cause I'm really scared of rapists." I said, giving him a cheeky smile.

His face fell. I smirked, satisfied, and left.

As I drove into the driveway I saw that the light of the house was on, so I knew that Emmett was home. Hopefully, he wasn't trying to cook again. Otherwise the firefighters would keep coming for no reason and one day when we had an actual fire they just wouldn't come. Of course, Forks was a small town. Even the mention of a fire could send the cops, ambulance, and fire trucks down to our house in about a minute. Oh, the excitement of something actually happening for once. And for Forks, even a measly fire could make the front page of the newspaper. If the town even had one, that is.

Em saw my car out front, so he came out to help me with the bags. Not to be a nice 'big brother', but because those bags were holding food, one of his three favorite things. The other two were girls and cars. When I had put all the food in the kitchen, I sat down in a chair, exhausted.

"So Em, mom wants to know if you wanna have a photo shoot sometime soon. Something about a new fall line."

He nodded, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. He might've been a pig, but not all the time to me. Renee had raised him with manners. What with all the social events we had attended in our lives, one could only assume that both Emmett and I had class.

"Oh, by the way, I was thinking that maybe we wanted to have a theme tomorrow. You could get Rose and the others in on it if you want," hoping that he wouldn't, but afraid that if I didn't mention them, he wouldn't wanna participate. Not that I didn't like them, no, they were great. A lot better than my so called friends in Manhattan. It's just that no matter whether we were new or not, Em and I always did everything together the first week of school.

He shook his head. "No, Bells, the first week is always you and me." I smiled faintly, and got up to give my brother a hug. "So what theme did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking something along the lines of prep school uniforms. You know, like Gossip Girl."

"Aw, come on, Bells, _prep school_?"

"Please, Emmy? We could wear Yankees stuff the next day if you want! Pleaaase?" I asked, putting my pout and puppy dog face to work.

He sighed. He could never resist that. "Fine. Those eyes should be illegal," he noted.

In the morning I woke up early to make a breakfast, which I was now able to do, considering there was food in the house. By the time Em woke up I had made plates of pancakes, sausages, eggs, strawberries, orange juice, the works. I went upstairs to take a shower.

As soon as I was done I went to go find my clothes. I picked out a white blouse, a black and navy plaid skirt that went a little higher than halfway above my thigh, and a tie in the same pattern. I kept my partially unbuttoned blouse untucked. I left my tie loosely around my neck. I kinda gave my hair the 'sex hair' look. I also decided to wear knee socks along with black Vans.

When I was done I skipped over to Emmett's room. He was probably still deciding how to fit our theme for the day. I picked out some tight-ish khaki slacks, a white button up shirt, a navy blue blazer, and a maroon tie with golden stripes going down diagonally to the right. I told him to keep his shirt untucked. I also oh-so-subtly suggested that he too should wear black Vans. That way we both wouldn't look _too _formal. _Keep it casual_, I told myself.

We had breakfast and Em suggested that we ride together today. I grabbed the absence note Charlie had written for us and then we piled into Charlie's Jaguar C-XF. We found a spot between Rosalie's BMW and Edward's Volvo. When we slipped out we went over to join the rest of the group.

"Oh my gosh! You guys match today! That's so cool! These look exactly like the uniforms from Gossip Girl!" _It should, Renee designed them. _"Edward, we should totally do that!"

"No, Alice," Edward groaned.

I noticed that we were receiving looks from the other students in the parking lot. Em and I walked into the school building, trying to ignore the countless, looks, stares, and glares. We shuffled into the stuffy office. I gave Ms. Cope the note and she just stared at it.

"What's this?" she questioned me.

"Charlie wrote a note to tell you that me and Em are going to be gone on Monday."

She looked at the note. Her eyes widened. _Hmm, she must've gotten to the part where it says we're gonna be modeling. Damn you, Charlie, for writing that. _I could see all the jealousy in her eyes. "I'm just going to go make a copy of this and then you can give this to each of your teachers to let them know of your absence in advance." She walked into the copy room and came back out with the papers in hand. She handed to us and we scurried out of the room.

We walked down the hall and were met by the door. I gave Emmett a slight push through the door to Mr. Varner's classroom. I could tell he was reluctant and dreading this class. _Since I'm going to hell, you might as well do it with me. _Once we were inside I could hear the comments on our uniforms.

"Man, how do they always end up looking like people in a movie?"

"Damn, look at her skirt! Ooh, naughty school girl, I'd love to get some of that ass."

"She looks exactly like Serena Van der Woodsen!"

We tried to make a quiet entrance but Mr. Douche Lord called us out on our 'tardiness'.

"Care to explain why you were late?"

I was going to speak but Em cut me off. "Because the bell rang before we got here." He said in a 'Duh' voice. I smacked my forehead with my hand and shook my head. I could hear snickers around the room.

"Mr. Swan, detention. After school."

Em shook his head. "No can do, teach. Me and Jelly Belly," there were a few snickers at my nickname, "got a private jet to catch after school today."

"Then I suppose you will have to cancel the flight."

"I don't think so. Renee Dwyer doesn't like her models late to their photo shoots." I interrupted, handing him the note.

"Well, I see. Then I would like to announce to the class that Isabella and Emmett Swan will absent until Tuesday, as they will be modeling in New York for the next few days." I could hear gasps and 'No fair's' in the classroom. I grinded my teeth. I knew he had only done that to embarrass us. Well, me more than Em. Nothing really embarrasses Emmett.

I hung my head as I walked to my seat in the back of the classroom, trying to ignore the envious stares.

In History I sat next to Jasper. "You know, maybe you should give Edward a chance." he suggested. I looked up at him disbelievingly. "It sounds insane, yes, but I've never seen him pine after a girl this much."

"Maybe it's because I'm the only girl who hasn't offered to suck his toothpick-sized dick in the first twenty minutes of meeting him." I retorted.

He thought about that a little. "Hmm, that may be."

"Anyway, he's a jackass." I concluded.

"What did that jackass ever do to you?" he asked curiously.

I raised an eyebrow. "The question is what has that jackass done to others?"

He chuckled. "Good question."

At lunch me and Emmett sat with Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie. Hmm, guess Dickward is off with another twenty-five cent whore. Of course, it was probably on the house for their 'best customer'. Either way, he would still get some for free, because of his godly appearance.

"Oh my gosh, guess what?" Alice excitedly asked no one in particular at our table.

"Hmm?" My mouth was full.

"I was at the store yesterday and guess who I found on the cover of Teen Vogue?"

_Shit. _I buried my face with my hands.

"Hey look, Bells, it's the picture of you from the photo shoot you had over the summer!" Brother Bear boomed.

I groaned. Emmett was good at a lot of things. Sports, video games… Keeping his big mouth shut was not one of those things. By now everybody had swarmed around our table trying to get a look at the picture. I just laid my head down on the table until the end of the lunch period.

My bad mood worsened when I saw that Edward was waiting for me at our table in biology. Usually I got here first, and then when he showed up I'd be able to ignore him. Not this time.

"Hey, study buddy."

"Don't call me that."

"Come on, do you know how many girls would kill to be my lab partner?"

"Good, then I guess you don't need me."

"Well look, we need to get started on the project sometime soon. I refuse to get an F on an assignment simply because we couldn't get along. You may not plan on going to college, but I'm pretty sure Dartmouth will not want a pre-med who couldn't do a simple project in his biology class. So can we please get along for the sake of my mother's joy of seeing me attend Dartmouth?"

I was stunned. Who knew he had that kind of ambition?

He must've seen the look on my face, because then he answered my silently asked question. "What I do in my personal life does not affect what I plan to do in my professional life."

"Fine."

He grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Well then, I guess I shall be escorting Miss Isabella Swan to my house after school today."

_What have I done?_


	7. Chapter 7

After school I met up with Em in the parking lot. "Lemme guess, you're being dragged to the Cullen crib, too?" I asked him.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm going there on my own free will, Bells."

"Speak for yourself. Seattle's number one rapist is 'escorting' me to his house today."

"Bella, I think you're overreacting. I mean yes, he hits on you every twenty-five seconds, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the nerve to make a move on you with me around. I mean, look at me." And just to prove his point, he dramatically flexed his arm. I swear, I think his bicep is bigger than my head.

Just then, Alice's head popped into view. "Okay, so who's riding with who?" she inquired.

"I'm riding with Rose," Emmett announced.

"Okay, then Jazz and I will drive together. And Edward and Bella will drive their cars back to our house. Is that okay with everyone?"

There was a chorus of 'yes's' and the group separated and migrated over to their vehicles. Edward and I were the only ones still standing. "So, I suppose that I will drive you to my house."

"Why? Wouldn't it be easier if I just drove to your house in my own car?"

"But wouldn't you like to ride with me?" he asked, gripping my shoulders so that I could face him.

I tried to squirm out of his grip, but that hope was lost as soon as it came, because he was way stronger than me.

"Well, no, I wouldn't. As a matter of fact, I'd rather not be seen in a…_Volvo,_" I said, disgust laced in my voice.

"What's wrong with my Volvo?" he asked in a panic-stricken voice.

"Well, you know. It just looks like a… soccer mom car." I answered, lying through my teeth. I didn't actually have anything against Volvo's, but if it bothered him, I would continue to bash his beloved car.

"I beg to differ. It does not look like a soccer mom car! What's the real reason you won't ride with me?" he asked, seeing through my lie.

"Well uh, let's see. I don't like the smell of sex. As far as I'm concerned, your car is like the honeymoon suite at a five star hotel."

"My car does not smell like sex! No one ever rides in here except Alice and myself! So my car. Does. Not. Smell."

"Whatever floats your boat, Eddie boy." I said with amusement.

"So are you riding with me or not?"

"No! Why would I ride with you when I have my own car that works perfectly fine?" I fumbled through my bag, searching for the keys to shove in his face; proof that I would be driving to his house alone. _Oh no. _I couldn't find my keys.

I looked up to see a smug look on Edward's glorious face. "I was waiting to see when you would notice that your keys were gone. Did she not tell you? Alice stole your keys during lunch time. She decided to take your car for a spin, so she's driving it back to our house. Looks like you _have _to ride with me now." He finished triumphantly. _She tricked me! That sly devil, _I thought.

"Fine," I grumbled, slipping into the car as Edward held open the door for me. Edward walked over to his side of the car and slid into his seat. "Hands to yourself, though, Cullen."He chuckled and started the car and darted down the road to his home.

While I was staring out the window I heard the soft notes of a familiar song. "Claire de Lune?" I asked.

Edward took his eyes off the road and looked over at me. "You know this song?"

"Yeah. Renee plays a lot of classical music around the house. I only know my favorites."

"This is one of my favorites, too. " He agreed. _Huh, we have something in common. _

I felt Edward start to slow down and I looked ahead to see a beautiful, enormous mansion hidden by the foliage of the forest. The shape of the house was sort of boxy, but very modern. Most of the house was glass, so I could see the tasteful interior of the house.

Edward cut the engine and opened the door for me. As I stepped out of the car and straightened my blouse and skirt, Emmett came hurdling toward me. "Belly! We've been waiting forever! Why didn't you answer your phone?" He threw me over his shoulder and ran into the house.

"Put me down, you hooligan!" I yelled, uselessly throwing my fists at his back in an attempt for him to set me down, as he stomped through the entrance of the house.

I could hear snickers around the room and I turned to where the sound was coming from. "Oh, um hello." I meekly greeted everyone from atop Emmett's shoulder. "Hehe, hold on, this will just take a second." I turned back to Em and growled, "Emmett, put me down _this instant._"

He shrugged and then threw me onto the couch. A pretty woman with caramel colored hair and a heart shaped face helped me up. "Are you all right, dear? You took quite a spill onto the couch." I nodded. "Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Esme, Edward and Alice's mom."

"Oh hi, I'm Bella Swan and the overgrown five year old next to me is my brother Emmett." I introduced us, earning an indignant 'Hey!' from Emmett. I turned to him. "Em, I love you, but Jesus Christ, just shut the _hell _up. Do you not see that we are in the presence of Esme _Cullen?_" I hissed.

He looked at me with a blank expression on his face. "You know, the one who designed Renee's apartment?" I asked, trying to jog his memory.

"Ohhhhhh," he said, dragging out the word. "I remember now!" He ran up to Esme and encased her slender hand into his huge fists and wildly shook her hand. "You, Madame, are a genius. The game room was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He dramatically pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

Esme laughed. "Thank you. I love your mother's work, as well. How is Renee, by the way?"

"She's fine. She invited Em and I to New York this week for her new line. She said we could bring some friends, too." As soon as I said that I heard two squeals coming from behind me.

"Bella, please, please, puh-_leez_ take me with you! And Rose, too!" Alice begged.

"What do you say, Em? Do you think the private jet has room for two more?"

**Just a filler chapter. Sorry I haven't been writing for like a month. I apologize. Please review. Reviews motivate me to write. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the terrible wait. School's been a bitch. But I've got the hang of it now, so expect a new chapter in a couple of days.**

**Oh, there's something I forgot.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

"Okay. The more the merrier!"

Alice's answering screech could be heard from a mile away.

I sighed. This is going to be one _long _weekend.

After we boarded the jet and had settled down I found myself staring out the window. I was looking, but not _seeing. _Going to New York would bring back painful memories. New York: the place where Jacob died.

"Hey everyone I found the booze!" Emmett bellowed.

"Emmett, you idiot! Put it back!" I screamed.

"But whyyy?" He whined like a child.

The not-so-quiet laughter of the crew could be heard from my seat. I guess they were used to our unusual behavior by now. After all, Em and I had pretty much grown up knowing them. Our pilot was known as Uncle Scott. And I have to say, he's as brave as they get. Me and Emmett, let's just say we have a pretty dramatic flair. I remember when he tried to push the emergency button that would throw the door open and inflate the slide things. Another time, we'd gotten into a fight. Let's just say Renee doesn't put really expensive stuff on our jet anymore. Oh yeah, and that time after Japan. Hehe. That meant no more sword fights on the plane either. Which, unfortunately, meant no fun. Ha. And they say you can't get good help these days. But good ol' Scott always came through.

"Because! Renee will be _pissed _if the words 'Underage Alcoholic' show up under _your_ picture on the cover of the next issue of People Magazine! Now put it back!"

Laughter could be heard from Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and..Dickward. Yes, we've got two extra passengers than planned. But Emmett gets lonely, and I'm not in the mood for another football game on this jet. Now Jasper I could handle. He had a reason for coming. His sister and girlfriend were going, so it only made sense that he would too. Edward, not so much. I mean, yes, Alice is here, but that doesn't count. But I guess that if you bring all three of them, you've gotta bring the fourth.

"Okay, so guys, I've started planning our trip! When we first get there, we'll check into the hotel, and then we'll all head out to lunch. After that, I'm going shopping. Whoever wants to can come with. Then we can all go to dinner and then we'll go back to the hotel. We can order room service after we get up, and by ten we can go to the photo shoot. Sound good?" Alice said that all in one breath.

We all nodded our agreements.

"Yo Jasper, Edward, I know the _coolest _paintball place in _all _of New York! We have to go there!" Emmett boomed.

"Hey Bella, are you gonna come shopping with us?" Alice chirped.

Edward and I answered at the same time. "No."

Alice and Emmett huffed. "Fine," they answered in unison, their arms crossed.

I cracked a smile. They were so alike, and yet so different in some ways.

"I'm actually looking for a music store. Can anyone suggest one?" Edward asked.

"Nope. I got nothing. Belly's the music nut of the Swans." Emmett answered, while I blushed.

Edward turned to me. "Care to introduce me to your hometown? I'm sure it's much more interesting than where I hale from." He asked, grinning. I had to smile at that. The fact that Edward was talking about himself like he was a small town hick was hilarious.

"Sure."

I went to go sit where Alice and Rose were. "Bella! You and Edward should totally get together!" Alice squealed, though not loud enough for the guys to hear.

"What? Are you blind? In case you haven't noticed, we don't exactly get along."

"Silly Bella. When will you see that you and Edward are perfect for each other? You're both smart, you obviously both love music, and you look so cute together! We could triple date!"

"Alice, whatever asinine idea you're planning in your mind, sorry babe, it ain't happening."

After the jet landed, we all took the limo that Renee got for us back to the hotel. Alice skipped up to the front desk and checked us in. She came back and gave each of us a card. "These are so that you can get back into your room at any time, okay?"

"Um, hey guys, I'm gonna drop by Renee's apartment and pick up my car, okay?"

There was a chorus of 'yes's' that I heard right before I was through the revolving doors.

I slipped back into the limo and told Bill to take me to Renee's. After he dropped me off I waved hello to the doorman and receptionist and they both smiled warmly back at me. "Good afternoon, Miss Swan. Back so soon?"

"Yeah, Norman. You know Renee. Needed a couple more models, so Emmy and I are in town for a few days. How are you?"

"Swell, Miss Swan. You are now looking at the proud new grandfather of a beautiful baby girl."

"That's so great! Well, I should be on my way. Tell Sarah I said hi."

I walked into the garage and flicked on the light. This place was enchanting. A car lover's dream. And the spotlight was on the best one of them all. A heartbreakingly beautiful silver Lamborghini Murcielago. Guess whose that is. Yup, me. I ran to the drooling valet outside and asked him to bring it out for me.

I stepped into my car and revved the engine. The smooth purr was music to my ears. _Ah, it runs like a dream. _

I drove back to the hotel and handed my keys and a few dollar bills to the eager valet. As I stood in the elevator, I fumbled through my hobo bag looking for the card that would let me in my room. I slid the card through the thing on the door and opened up.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

Standing right in front of me, half-naked, was Edward Cullen, rifling through his suitcase looking for something to wear.

I did the only thing I could. I screamed.

Edward spun around and stared at me. He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. I watched as he tried to regain his bravado. He looked at me and waggled his eye brows.

"You like what you see?" he asked.

_Oh, yes, I do. _The devil inside me said while licking its lips. He somehow managed to look delicious even in just a pair of black boxers. _No, Bella! You can't be thinking that way!_

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" I asked.

He smirked. "Well, Swan, this happens to be my room, too.

_Alice. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about not updating in a couple days like I said I would. My softball coach is a pain in the ass.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

His words dawned on me and I'm sure my face would've been amusingto see had it not been me in the situation. "Oh no, this is _not _happening. Nope. Not on my watch. She better switch my room or she won't live to see daylight." I grumbled. I paced around the room, phone held up to my ear, the other hand running my fingers through my hair.

Edward's face broke into a grin and he chuckled. "Try having an argument with Alice. Hardly anyone gets out alive with things going their way. But I'd like to see you try. You seem like a pretty strong person, so I'd give you about a minute before you give."

"Hi Bella!" Alice chirped.

"Oh no, don't you 'Hi Bella' me. Hey Alice, care to explain why Think-With-His-Dick says that him and I are gonna be rooming together?" I hissed. "What in the _hell _is going on?"

"Oh, come on Bella! Everyone knows you both like each other! I just decided to give you both a push in the right direction, that's all!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there. I do not like him!" I felt like a second grader denying accusations of having a crush on some boy. _Except for he's not just some boy, Bella, he's Edward, _my internal voice said dreamily.

"Yes you dooo," Alice replied in a soprano.

"No. I don't," I growled.

"Yes, you d-" Alice's voice was cut off the moment I hit end call.

Edward came back into the room. "So, how'd it go?"

"You were right." I grumbled.

Edward cupped his ear with his right hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I'm not gonna say it."

Edward smirked. "That's fine. I heard you anyway. So, I guess you and I are sharing."

I rolled my eyes. "Just remember, Edward. Emmett's down the hall."

Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I spotted the bed. Yeah, you heard right. _Bed. _Not bed_s_. A singular noun. Edward turned his head to see what I was looking at and then a huge grin lit up his face. "You know, it's pretty cold here in New York, and body heat helps keep you warm."

"I'm not that desperate," I spat.

His eyes locked with mine, and we stared each other down for who knows how long. The silence was broken by the shrill ring of my phone.

"Hello?" I asked irritably.

"Hi Bella! Put me on speaker!"

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Bella, Edward, you guys need to get ready because we're all going out for lunch in ten minutes! And Bella, don't you _dare _wear those sweat pants. 'Kay, bye!"

I sighed as I set down my phone. "You heard her, Cullen. Get dressed. New York has a law against public nudity."

I walked over to my overflowed suitcase and forced it open. Though summer had not yet ended, New York was starting to cool down. It wasn't bitingly cold, but the occasional gulfs of wind could make you a little chilly. So along with my other clothes, I grabbed a purple and gray striped cardigan and took them into the bathroom with me. I slipped on an olive colored, loose fitting, knit tank top. I yanked off my lovingly worn sweats and put on a pleated white skirt that ended a little above mid thigh. Then I slid on the cardigan and pulled on my tan colored moccasins. Just to contradict the preppy look I had, I straightened my hair and thrashed my head around wildly. My hair was now in a state of disarray, and I smiled triumphantly. I sprayed a light layer of hairspray to keep it like that for the rest of the day.

I began to clean up my stuff until I heard a loud knock on the door. "Look, we don't have all day, Swan." Edward yelled through the barrier that separated us.

The obnoxious banging continued until I opened the door. I threw it open to find Edward's fist mid knock, about to hit the door again.

"Thank god. Finally, you're done." He said exasperatedly. "I was about to break down the door. Now come on, Alice is meeting us in the lobby in about a minute."

I looked at the clock on the bedside table. The numbers read 11:14. "God, what are we still doing here?" I asked, panicked. "Alice is going to flip a shit if we're late! Let's go!" I grabbed my bag and we ran out the door. I unconsciously took his hand to pull him along with me. I felt a spark go through my arm and I pulled away. We looked at each other for a moment. Finally I asked, "Did you feel that?" He nodded.

Our moment was interrupted by none other than Alice. "Finally, you're here! Look, Emmett has the limo waiting outside."

We got into the silver Hummer and Emmett told Bill where to take us. The limo stopped and we heaved ourselves out of it. We walked through the entrance of the restaurant. Emmett walked over to the podium. He cleared his throat, trying to get the hostess to look up from her phone.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

She looked up, an annoyed look on her face. That is, until she took in Emmett's full appearance. Her eyes widened and she leaned over the podium, exposing her cleavage. "Oh, hello, how can I help you?" she asked in what I guess was supposed to be an alluring voice. Emmett looked away.

"Party of six, miss," he said in a strained voice.

"I need a name, sexy," she giggled.

I swear that I saw Rose's eyes bulge out of their sockets. She stepped in front of Emmett and growled, "Swan, Dwyer, Cullen, or Hale. Take your pick."

I heard a sharp intake of breath. "Hale, as in Robert Hale?" the girl asked.

"Who's Robert Hale?"

The girl gasped and turned her head to me. "You don't know who _Robert Hale_ is?" her voice got higher with each word she said.

Jasper decided to cut in and ease the tension. "Did Rose and I forget to tell you? We come from old money, I suppose you could say. We don't flaunt it much. The Hales are one of Manhattan's elite families. Robert Hale is my grandfather."

I nodded in understanding. Then I turned to the girl. "So can you just give us our damn table?" I demanded.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?

I smirked. "Oh honey, you don't wanna know who I am."

Emmett threw his arm around my shoulder, and announced, "Belly and Emmy Swan, at your service."

Understanding dawned in the girl's eyes. "Oh my god, you're Bella Swan. Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said back there. I didn't mean 'who are you, who are you,' I meant, "Who are you?" she finished with a nervous smile on her face. _Mhm, keep talking._

Emmett clasped his hands together. "Well, Emmett is hungry, so can you _please_ lead us to our table?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Oh, of course!"

When we were finally seated at our table, the menus were brought to us. All three guys glared at the waiter who tried to slip us his phone number. "Hey, management!" Emmett called. A portly man wearing an ugly suit two sizes too small walked nervously over to Emmett.

"Yes, sir?" he asked anxiously, while dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief.

"What kinda business are you trying to run? I got a hostess who's off the job, and a waiter who's _clearly _asking for an ass beating, after he slipped my baby sister his number!" Emmett cried. "This is insanity! All I came here to do was eat. And after nearly fifteen minutes, I have yet to eat anything!"

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to quiet down. You are disturbing the other diners."

Emmett shut his mouth with an irritated clamp of his teeth.

As the end of our lunch was nearing, Alice began to speak. "Okay, Rose and I are going shopping, and Emmett and Jazzy are going paintballing, so it seems that you and Edward will be spending the day together."

_Great. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry about the long wait. I've been MIA when it comes to writing for a while. But I've started working again. I can't promise a new chapter tomorrow, I can promise it won't be a 4 month wait again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

* * *

After my amazing brother ditched me, along with the others, I turned to Edward. "Cullen, I need to go back to the hotel room. So let's go."

"Why do I have to come?" he complained.

"Because here in New York, you're fresh meat. Wouldn't wanna leave you to the dogs, 'cause I am _not_ taking you to a clinic to get tested for herpes. I mean, how embarrassing would that be for me?"

"Gee, thanks so much. Why do you even need to go back to the hotel room, anyway?"

"Because I left my pepper spray in there, duh."

He looked at me, trying to decide whether or not I was crazy. "Is New York really that dangerous?"

I chuckled. "Silly Edward. I'm a big girl. I think I can handle myself. The pepper spray is to help you keep your distance, that's all."

The waiter came by our table and set down the bill. "Come on, Cullen," I beckoned, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him out of his seat. I threw three one hundred dollar bills on the table. "That should cover it. Keep the change," I told the waiter.

Once we were outside of the restaurant, Edward asked me, "Did you even look at the bill? You gave them almost a one hundred dollar tip."

"The act of giving. Beautiful, isn't it? Now hurry up and get in the limo before the paparazzi show up. I like to keep a low profile."

We climbed in and Bill drove us back to the hotel. Edward opened the door to our room and I sat down on one of the chairs. "So Cullen, how are you and I going to deal with this living situation for the next few days?"

"Well, we could always go back to my idea. 'Cause you know, body heat helps in life or death situations."

"Nah. How 'bout you take the couch and I'll take the bed? Sound good? Good." I dived for the bed before he could say anything.

"You didn't even give me a choice," he spluttered.

"Aw, is wittle Eddie not used to sleeping on the couch?" I mocked him. I threw one of the pillows at him. "Man up, Cullen. Ever heard of the term 'Ladies first'?"

He picked up the pillow off the ground and lumbered over to the couch, mumbling what sounded like, "Stupid Alice."

I grinned. I lounged on my bed with my hands behind my head. "So," I began, "now that that's all said and done, I'm gonna go grab my pepper spray, and then we can head out. I was thinking we should go around Central Park, then explore the city later."

"Sounds good to me."

I ran to my suitcase and threw the pepper spray in the bag.

"Where did you even get that anyway?" Edward asked.

"Charlie. He just wants to make sure that I can keep the pervs away. A little insulting, but I appreciate it even more now that I have some use for it." I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. "Well, it's about a quarter past twelve, so it should be a little warmer outside. Let's get going."

Once we were out of the hotel, we began walking.

"Let's go to the music store." I pointed at a small building in the middle of the street. I'd decided that it would keep us occupied and we wouldn't have to talk so much.

As we were walking, I got curious, so I asked, "So why is it you do what you do?"

He turned to me. "What do you mean?"

"You know. You hook up with anything lacking a Y chromosome. Or am I wrong about that? Do you bat for the other team, Edward?" I asked mischievously.

He scoffed. "As if. I'm not interested in anyone with anything hanging between their legs, thanks for asking."

"Sure. You still haven't answered the question. Why do you do what you do? It's not classy."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I don't need your opinions on my sex life. Unless you want to be part of it, of course." He waggled his eyebrows. "But to answer your question, I don't really know. It's fun."

"Sure," I said dryly. "Fun."

We walked into the store, and were met with rows upon rows up CD's. Over in the corner there was a stack of old records.

Edward looked positively stunned, and I swear a saw of trickle of drool coming out of his mouth.

"Have at it."

* * *

Five minutes later, I regretted taking him to the music store. After the third time of him saying, "Whoa, Bella! This is an original autographed copy of The Rolling Stones' record! Can you believe it?", I was ready to rip my hair out.

Once we got to the checkout counter, the day just wasn't going well for me. The girl completely ignored me, instead keeping her eyes trained on Edward. Twirling her hair, she asked "Will that be all today?"

Edward gave her his signature crooked grin, and her eyes glazed over for a second. "Yeah, that'll be it."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Hey Romeo, Juliet. Cut the crap. Edward, pay for your damn CD's you keep bugging me about so we can leave."

The girl looked at me surprised, seeming like she just noticed me. She glared and turned back to Edward.

"Edward, is it? Such a sexy name, for such a sexy guy," she purred.

_Facepalm moment. _

"Oh for crying out loud, you're in a public place! Couldn't you leave this for the strip club? Come on, Edward," I said, dragging him by the arm.

I led him over to a bench and sat down. "So Edward, since Alice obviously left us alone to 'get to know each other', let's do that. Tell me about yourself."

He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. It seemed like a nervous habit of his. "There isn't much to tell. Did you know Alice and I aren't really twins?" _They weren't? _He must've seen the questioning look in my eye, because he continued speaking. "We were born in the same year, but that's as close as we'll get to being twins. Carlisle and Esme aren't my biological parents. My real parents were Edward and Elizabeth Cullen. They died in a car crash when I was nine. Luckily my dad had a younger brother- Carlisle. He and Esme took me in, and I've lived with them ever since."

"Wow, Alice never mentioned any of this."

"Of course she didn't," he muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"She feels it isn't her place to discuss things, but I can see it in her eye. She feels sorry for me. That's why she won't talk."

I couldn't think of what to say. The only thing I got out was "I'm sorry."

He laughed bitterly. "Of course you are. Isn't everyone? Thank god Alice and I have the same last name. No one in Forks knows we're cousins. That way I'm not known as the town doctor's screw-up son."

"What are you talking about? Why are you getting so angry?"

He had a wild look on his face, but all I saw was the pained, vulnerable face of a nine-year-old boy. "Why am I angry?" he repeated.

"I'm just trying to help," I whispered.

A loud snap made me flinch. "That! That is why I'm angry, Bella! I don't _need _your pity! I don't want to be reminded that I don't have parents!"

We were both quiet for a moment, but then I opened my mouth to speak. "Edward, you're not the only one who had someone die on you, okay?" I said quietly, keeping my eyes on the ground.

He looked up, and saw my tear-filled eyes. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry."

I didn't respond to him. I focused on getting rid of the lump in my throat, so that when I decided to reply, I could be sure that my voice wouldn't break. I took a deep breath, and exhaled shakily. Before I began to speak, I focused my eyes on a fountain in the distance. "His name was Jacob, Jacob Black. He was my best friend. We met at school, in the fourth grade. Jacob never had a good relationship with his father. His dad wanted what he couldn't give him. He always tried so hard to please him, but it was never enough. See, Jake's mom died in childbirth. His dad never forgave him. But the thing is, he loved his dad, a lot. Almost as much as he loved me. One day his dad died in a car crash. He was devastated. I lost contact with him for a couple of days. He wouldn't take my calls. So I decided to leave him alone for a while. But a couple days later I got a text from him. It read, "Bye." And it all went downhill from there. I ran to his house. I couldn't find him anywhere. Just a note that he left. They found his body a couple days later in a special meadow he and I used to go to. He died of a drug overdose."

By the time I had finished I had tears running down my eyes. I sniffed, and wiped my tears with the back of my hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be dumping all my problems on you," I said, grinning weakly through my tears.

Edward reached out his arms, as if he wanted to comfort me by giving me a hug. He hesitated, and must've decided not to, because he put his arms back down.

We sat in silence for a moment. I still had my eyes on the fountain. After a while, I decided a needed a shoulder to cry on, so I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes. The light breeze blew against my body, and after a moment, Edward put his arm around me and pulled me closer.

* * *

**Review! Come on, people! Have a heart! I updated my last story about a month ago, and it got NO reviews! Tons of alerts and favorites, but not reviews. Zero. Zilch. **


	11. Chapter 11

**This is a really short chapter, but it's been forever since I've updated and I just wanted to get something out to you guys as soon as possible. I'm making no promises on the next time I will update, but I'm just letting you know I'm hard at work on all my stories and a couple new ones right now. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

* * *

Edward and I spent the rest of the day just sitting and talking on the bench. I found myself noticing little quirks about him, like how he would run his hand through his hair or pinch the bridge of his nose when he was stressed, or how he would slap his knee when he laughed.

As we were laughing, I suddenly remembered something and sobered up.

"What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's stupid, really."

"Just tell me. I promise I won't laugh."

"Fine.. Why is it that you do what you do? One minute you have one girl on your arm, the next she's in the bathroom crying and you've moved on to the next girl. And tell me the truth this time."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was really hoping you wouldn't ask that."

I mumbled an 'okay' and looked away. No one spoke. _Great. __Looks __like __we__'__re __back __to __ignoring __each __other._

He sighed. "The reason I treat girls the way I do is because I've been burned pretty badly in the past. There was a girl. Her name was Tanya Denali. I met her while I was living in Alaska with my dad's old friend, Eleazar. I was going through a tough time. My rebellious stage, I guess you could say. I didn't want Carlisle and Esme to have to deal with me. One day I was home and Eleazar's friend Carmen was having dinner with us. She happened to bring her niece over.

And that was the spark that started a romance that would eventually leave me with a broken heart. I thought I loved her. I thought she loved me. Apparently I was wrong on both counts. The relationship ended when I found her in bed with some guy. I wasn't mad. Hurt, maybe. But not mad. I surprised myself by not punching the living daylights out of him. I left calmly.

I came home that night to hear Eleazar on the phone, yelling at whoever was on the line. It turned out that it was a Ms. Irina Denali. "You stay the hell away from my godson!" I remember him yelling. I asked him what it was about and he told me. According to Tanya's mother, word had gotten out that the heir to the Masen fortune was currently living with Eleazar, so she decided to send her 'lovely, beautiful daughter'- her words, not mine - to go live with her aunt, thereby having a better chance of cashing in on all my money by dating and eventually marrying me.

And I think that's when I changed. I built up walls to keep people out. I don't let people get too close. Because if you do, you're only hurting yourself in the end. A few days later, she called me, sobbing about how she was sorry, and that it would never happen again. I asked her what his name was. She didn't say anything. So I hung up.

God, she didn't even know his _name_! How could I have been so _stupid_? I should've noticed _something_! The signs were there! I guess I was just blinded by this so called love. So I promised myself I would never let this happen again, because I know they say that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, but what they forget to mention is that it _almost _kills you. And it hurts."


End file.
